The “Air Gun Blues”
Nathan dubbed this current stretch of fieldwork the “Air Gun Blues,” with some recent air gun issues that necessitated pulling in arrays 3 and 4. Electrical issues in the GCU (gun control unit) posed a problem for array 4, where the air guns were not firing as intended; this led to a GCU replacement to restore the guns’ firing functionality.
A second issue was failed seals in array 3, where the seals on the air gun openings were stuck in the open position and were therefore prohibiting sufficient buildup of pressure within the guns to fire subsequent shots.
The designation of “Air Gun Blues” followed the third malfunction, discovered while the equipment was on deck for maintenance: the gun floats were going flat, with a hole in one and a slow leak in the other. Fortunately the R/V Marcus Langseth has a great crew and a lot of equipment-facing capabilities to troubleshoot and conduct repairs.
Photos and updates from Susie and Nathan
Tawfik and Leo walk on deck near the streamer and air gun equipment.
This Qimera window shows the “loops in bathy” that resulted from turning around with the air guns on deck and reshooting portions of the lines that were initially missed.
Tawfik and Leo work on the air gun/streamer system on deck.
Brian conducts electrical repairs, testing, and maintenance.
